Clayton County, GA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Section 18-48 lays out Clayton County's inspection sequence for every permit type. For general building work, the county official conducts a foundation inspection after trenches are excavated and forms erected but before concrete is poured, a frame inspection once the roof, framing, fire blocking, bracing and all concealed wiring, pipes, chimneys, ducts and vents are in place, and a final inspection once the building is complete and ready for occupancy. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems each get their own underground or rough-in inspection before walls are closed up, plus a final inspection, and gas work gets a rough piping inspection before any piping is covered and a final inspection once new work is connected.

Energy inspections check that wall, ceiling and floor insulation is sealed and rated correctly before the structure is signed off. Under § 18-48(e), the permit card must be posted on the premises, protected from weather, until the certificate of occupancy or completion is issued. Section 18-48(g) bars work from proceeding past any inspected stage 'without first obtaining a written release from the county official,' and § 18-48(h) specifically bars covering reinforcing steel, structural framing, insulation, or plumbing, mechanical or electrical systems before that release is given.

The county official may accept reports from outside inspection services under § 18-48(c), but only if those reports are in writing and certified by a responsible officer of the service. Before any permit is even issued, § 18-48(a) lets the county official examine existing buildings and their systems tied to the application, and § 18-48(b) allows inspection of materials or assemblies at the point of manufacture when the county official deems it necessary.